Crystal Ball
by schmoosh
Summary: Six years after Sarah defeats the Goblin King, Jareth finds himself plotting revenge. He moves the stars for no one, espcially not twice in one life time. Will Sarah succumb to the advances of the Goblin King?
1. Plots of Revenge

Crystal Ball

Chapter 1: Plots of Revenge

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be raping Jareth. Every. Day.

---

"_-And my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me!" Sarah's voice rose with confidence as she finally recalled the words that would vanquish the proud Goblin King before her._

_A flash of pain and disappointment washed over Jareth's sharp features and he dropped the arm that offered the crystal, something that tempted Sarah with her heart's desires. He started at her with his odd mismatched eyes and for a moment, Sarah saw something there that made her stomach twinge with regret. The Escher room rumbled loudly and turned on its axis as it crumbled and dissolved from around them, pulling Sarah into a spinning abyss with the haunting feeling that she had lost something very precious..._

_---_

Sarah shot out of bed with a gasp, her eyes searching wildly for the tall, graceful Goblin King. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest and she willed herself to calm down and to breathe. With a groan, she lowered herself back onto her pillow and wished away the anxiety that tightened her chest. These dreams had marred her sleep for nearly six years now. She often found herself avoiding sleep late at night by writing down the vivid memories from her adventure in the Underground and turning them into amusing little tales that she could later read to Toby, her ever so energetic and imaginative seven year old brother.

Sarah stubbornly flung the blankets over her head and snapped her eyes shut, willing herself to fall back asleep. She tossed and turned for a long minute. Unable to find a comfortable position, she huffed in annoyance, pushed the blankets off of herself and lowered her feet to the floor.

The air was chilly and goose bumps immediately rose on the exposed skin of her calves and arms. With a shudder, Sarah grabbed her frilly robe and slippers and flicked on her lamp. She sat back down on the edge of the bed again and lowered her head into her hands and almost at once, a lump rose in her throat and her eyes watered. She swallowed at the lump and rubbed her eyes into the palm of her hands hastily, angry that something so silly would have her tearing up. The first sob snuck out of her without much notice but it wasn't too long before a second, third, fourth joined it and all at once, Sarah found herself openly weeping. She remained in her hunched state for what seemed like hours as she cried for herself, pitying her lack of sleep, for wishing Toby away in the first place. It wasn't the first time she had cried for herself and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"It's just not _fair_!"

She continued to sob and chant that sentence for a couple of long moments before the sobs finally ebbed away. Sarah pulled herself up and shuffled to the dark window She stared out into the night and watched the branches of a nearby oak tree waved calmly in the breeze and she absentmindedly wiped her cheeks dry. Tomorrow would be the start of her second year in college. The leaves outside were slowly beginning to change and the air had a wonderful smell to it; something incredibly old and, dare she say it, enchanting.

---

Jareth propped his head up against his hand as he stared into the crystal in his hand grimly, his legs swinging lazily over the armrest of his throne. He had watched Sarah many times before in such a state and, admittedly, felt a cruel stab of amusement the first dozen or so times this incident had occurred. As the weeks turned into years, Jareth felt the amusement ebb away at the sight and was left feeling puzzled, bitter and a swirl of emotions he had yet to fully understand.

Never had he afflicted a human so badly. She had been a child, nothing more than a selfish, foolish girl when she had come before him to defy him, to beat his labyrinth and to be the first to turn down heir heart's desires. It was a rare sight to see a human, especially one as young as Sarah had been, to resist his powerful magic. Many a man and woman had succumbed to his influence and charm, much less a bull-headed, selfish brat.

Anger and shame pooled in Jareth's stomach and he felt that the image of the young woman before him was again defying him. Had he not offered her most wild dreams? A Kingdom? It irked him to no end that she had successfully resisted him.

'What a pity.' Jareth thought to himself absently before he was pulled away from the vision before him by the loud guffaws and chortling of his subjects.

Goblins of all shapes and sizes ran about his throne room, cups of mead clutched in their clubbed hands as they drunkenly swivelled around the room. One or two whelps amused themselves with an Aboveground creature they had managed to capture on a more adventurous night of babe-snatching. They had heard the old human call ita 'chicken.' Thus, it had been presented to King Jareth as a gift. The creature clucked fearfully and darted around the room to avoid being captured and thrown around.

Jareth's eyes followed the little pest in amusement, watching as goblins fell over themselves in the attempts to capture it. He found himself grow bored quickly and turned his gaze back to the crystal and found Sarah staring out her window. He watched as her puffy eyes grew distant as they stared out into the night and found himself wishing to see what she was gazing at. Before long, he watched as she turned from the window to sit at her desk and pull out a worn journal out of the drawer. She wrote meticulously, pausing every few moments to consider what to write down next. When she figured out what it was that she wanted to say, she would gingerly bite at her lower lip and her eyebrows would knit together; it was an altogether endearing look.

Once she finished writing in her worn journal, she pulled out a second journal, though this one was brightly decorated with the name "Toby" scrawled out in gold pen. She began to write furiously. It was obvious that she was not putting in the same detail and serious tone into this one. Of course, Jareth had seen both journals before. When Sarah's sibling would come to visit her, she would often tell him grandiose stories of the Underworld, a place he would never remember. The stories would calm the child, bedazzle and ensnare his attention like no other could.

Jareth felt a small tinge of loss and defeat at the thought of young Toby. His prize. He glowered at the memory of losing him for a moment before he focused back onto the image of Sarah.

She was stretching her back in an attempt to release the tension that had wound itself there and Jareth's nostrils flared. Sarah had become an alluring sight in the years she had been away from the Underground. Long gone was the body of a stubborn brat-child; it had transformed and took on the curvaceous shape of a woman and Jareth found himself fully aware of every curve that made itself known.

A moment later, Jareth's face twisted. How dare she evoke these thoughts in him after all he had offered her! The human child who had defeated him would not have yet _another _victory. He moved the stars for no one, especially not twice in one life time.

It was in that moment that Jareth's keen fae mind began to plot his revenge. A smile grew on his wicked lips and he narrowed his eyes at the image once more.

"No one denies me. No one."


	2. Goblins

Crystal Ball

Chapter 2: Goblins

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be raping Jareth. Every. Day.

---

Morning came too soon for Sarah. After her dreams, she had stayed up to write in her journals. She found the act of writing down her dreams to be therapeutic and dramatically enhanced her ability to sleep without being interrupted by thoughts of the Goblin King. Her alarm clock buzzed noisily on her nightstand and at once, her arm flung out from beneath the covers to swat at it angrily.

"6 A.M. is too early for anyone to be awake," Sarah groaned in annoyance

It took her a moment to find the off switch to her alarm clock. Once she did, she slowly crawled out of bed and shuffled into her kitchen where she knew her coffee machine would have already prepared her first dose of rich, aromatic brew that would perk her up She was absolutely useless without her morning coffee; she had once shown up to work at Millbrook's New and Used Books without having her coffee and had found herself sleeping face down in an old dusty tomb. When she had awoken, she found Mr. Millbrook himself staring down at her with his hands on his waist with a look of utter annoyance on his face. Being an elderly gentleman with faint, wispy hair and cracked, antique-looking glasses, he had the look of a cranky old codger. She would have laughed had it not been for the stern, raspy warning that anyone who had a serious love for books would never drool on a Charles Dickens tomb that dated back to 1898. That had been enough for her to invest in the expensive coffee machine and to never miss her daily coffee ever again.

Once she had fixed herself up with a large, steamy mug, she looked around her modest apartment with pride. It had taken her much too long to escape the ever-diligent eyes of her stepmother, Karin. After her terrifying experience in the Underground, Sarah had tried desperately to respect Karin and her ability to take care of such a temperamental baby but found herself once again subjugated to Karin's constant criticism and apathy. It wasn't until Karin voiced her opinion that it was maybe Sarah's mother's influence to have caused Sarah to be quirky that she lost her temper and began her search for her own place. By then, she had already completed her first year of college as a student of history and drama and felt confident that her job at Millbrook's would be able to sustain her. It had been a struggle for the first month; Sarah hadn't counted on small things that would chip away at her already tight budget. One day, a small envelope came in the mail and she was surprised to find it was from her father. Upon opening it, she found a check and a small note stating that he would help her when he could and it warmed her heart to know that her father indeed still cared.

Sarah sipped at the hot brew and practically purred at the heat and taste that trickled down her throat and warmed her belly. She sighed in content and took a few more large gulps before she put the empty mug down on the counter and headed for the bathroom to relieve her full bladder and to take a steamy shower.

---

Steam swept out of the bathroom once Sarah came out. She quickly got dressed into a pair of fairly worn jeans and a tasteful blouse and packed her knapsack with all the essentials of her school day. Her classes looked promising for the semester as did her professors, whom she had done prior research on through the Internet. Every single one of her professors had great credentials and reviews from former students and all seemed to be fair in their grading.

Before long, Sarah was finished preparing for the day. She poured the remainder of her coffee pot into a portable mug and headed for the door with a bounce in her step. She made her way down the stairs and out the door in no time in hopes to catch an earlier bus to campus but found herself walking slowly; it was a beautiful temperature outside with the sun shining in a way that gave everything outside a golden look. The trees looked far more magnificent and regal, the bushes seemed to glow. The smell on the air almost hypnotized Sarah. It smelt of leaves, of wet ground, of spice and of something far too ancient and mystical to name; never before had she smelt it so strongly and her head swam in it. She felt almost wild then, and wanted nothing more to run through the park that was across the street from her apartment all day long to soak it in.

Her eyelids dropped with hazy pleasure and she surveyed the scene through half-lidded eyes.

'Everything seems so... beautiful. Natural.... Wonderful.' Sarah thought dreamily

She gave a small frown at that thought. With great struggle, Sarah pulled herself out from the fog of her mind and peered around to look into the park. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary and at once felt a bubble of laughter rise in her throat.

'How paranoid am I?' Sarah thought to herself as she shook her head.

She continued to walk slowly towards the bus stop and inhaled the intoxicating scent deeply. She held her breath for a moment to savour it and that's when she heard it. The small, malicious giggles. The quick, tiny steps. GOBLINS.

Sarah froze momentarily and her eyes bugged out of her head. She dimly thought that she must have looked like quite a sight before her 'fight or flight' instincts kicked in and she ran. Hard. Without stopping or turning to look back, she pounded her feet against the pavement as hard as she could until she reached the people-inhabited bus stop. There was a portly man in a business suite who carried a raggedly old looking suitcase and an elderly woman with a shawl wrapped around her head and hideous glasses that made her eyes seem the size of saucers. Both blinked up at her slowly as she tried to regain to breathing.

Sarah stared around wildly, her senses overloaded and super sensitive to any sight or sound that was foreign to Oak Street.

'Goblins. _Goblins.__** Goblins.**_ Here! Why? Dear God, someone save me!' Sarah's thoughts whirled and collided wildly

It was only when she spotted the city bus turn the corner that the anxious knot in Sarah's stomach loosened.

---

Sarah presented the bus driver with her pass and glanced around for a vacant seat. 7:00A.M. and already crowded, her stomach dropped at the unlikelihood of catching an empty seat. As the bus jerked forward into drive, Sarah was jerked backward and stumbled ungracefully into a woman. After apologizing, she quickly grabbed onto the handbar and resigned herself for an uncomfortable ride.

By two or three stops down the route, Sarah had closed her eyes and attempted to push thoughts of _him_ out of her head and to prepare for the day ahead of her. What would the professors think should they call out her name during attendance and have her blurt out 'goblins!' instead of her own name?

The bus jerked to a halt at yet another stop and suddenly, the bus was filled with the scent of leaves, spice and that unnamable aroma. It was so strong that Sarah's head snapped up painfully. The bus was still crowded and so it was difficult to discern the many strangers that crowded on and for a moment, panic flooded Sarah's nerves. Memories of the crystal ballroom came to mind; So many faces pressed into her space, so much movement. Her senses had been overloaded then, too.

'At least I don't have that bastard trying to woo me again.' Sarah's mind chirped. As soon as she thought it, her stomach knotted again and for a moment, she recalled his eyes as they had danced. They had been so warm, so full of a playful, content gleam. Her mind then shot to the Escher room and her stomach dropped even further still; his eyes had grown so soft, sad and hurt. He had looked at her like she had torn his heart out.

Sarah frowned and worried her lip between her teeth. That feeling of having lost something came flooding back and she nearly groaned at herself. Today, she thought sourly, would be a _very_ long day.

---

A/N: Thanks to all who have added this story to their favourites, alerts lists, and have commented. Just remember that commenting is always a great motivator!


	3. The Watch

Crystal Ball

Chapter 2: The Watch

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the Labyrinth.

---

Jareth's mismatched eyes had followed Sarah as she had sauntered down the stairs of her residence through a small crystal. She looked eager to start the day and Jareth found himself equally eager to set his plan in motion. He dismissed the crystal quietly and began to work.

He stood hidden behind the large oak trees in the park across the street from Sarah and he grinned at his own brilliance. He closed his eyes and relaxed every muscle in his body. His mind concentrated on the smell of the trees, of the September air and of the damp grass that surrounded himself. He raised his arms slowly from his sides and willed the elements to bend to his will. He brought his gloved hands forward and began twisting them gracefully in a mesmerizing pattern. Materializing from nowhere, a crystal ball appeared and began to roll back and forth along his hands and forearms. In the center of the glittering sphere swirled what looked like liquid gold. It glowed delicately as it twisted and swirled around itself and any human passerby would have been completely captivated by the sight. Suddenly, Jareth caught the orb and his eyes fluttered open.

"A gift for you, Sarah." Jareth murmured

He dropped the orb and it smashed onto the ground. He shards dissolved into the ground immediately and a shockwave of golden hue sprang forth from Jareth's feet. His long, white-blonde hair whipped around his face and every tree, bush and blade of grass swayed at its power. The smell of ancient magic seeped into every rock, every leaf. The Aboveground had been too long without this smell. It was the scent of mystical beasts, enchanted forests, of his people, the Fae, and of the natural magic of the Fall. Humans had been foolish to banish these gifts. Their cultures had suffered from the loss of it and Jareth absentmindedly felt a malicious bubble of pride rise in his chest.

"Their loss, entirely." Jareth's voice rumbled lowly

His eyes were glued on the front door of the building a distance ahead of him. Sarah stepped out quickly and headed straight towards the bus stop with determined steps. As quick as she started, she paused and turned towards the park and Jareth felt his breath catch in his throat. She looked completely ensnared by what she saw. She took in the entire park and suddenly her expression grew warm as pleasure washed over her.

Jareth, too, was captivated by the sight; Her mouth was opened slightly and her lips glistened in the golden hue. Her eyelids drooped low on her eyes and her skin flushed. She was the personification of sensuality. Jareth's face twisted once more in anger at his betraying thoughts. He had loved this girl once before and he had had his heart fed back to him quite viciously. He had vowed never to let his foolish heart wander again.

'I'll be damned if that wench steals my heart again.' Jareth thought bitterly as his eyes narrowed

He forced himself to concentrate back on his plan rather than the alluring image of Sarah Williams raking her eyes so beautifully over his work. She took slow steps forward and Jareth knew he had caught her. With a triumphant smile, he urged one more burst of sightless magic towards Sarah. The hypnotic scent blossomed over her and at once, her senses turned _wild._

The flush rose along her pale neck and creamy cheeks and her chest almost heaved with her effort to breath in such delicious magic. Jareth's keen Fae eyes watched as it washed over her, clung to her hair and clothes, as it filled her lungs and befuddled her mind to a state of reckless abandon.

The sight, he admitted begrudgingly to himself, was delicious. Already, he found his ego soothed by the sight that _he_ had done this to the wench who had dared ever to defy him.

Through the portal he had created between the Underground and the Aboveground, crawled out a few goblins. They stood near their master with their heads bowed down and their backs hunched as if expecting to be struck. They shuffled around uncomfortably as they awaited their lord's orders.

Jareth ignored the cretins at his feet and continued to observe the wild Sarah. At the rate she was being hypnotized, she would be his within the hour. Already, she looked as if she would strip off her clothing and run through the park to bask in the magic he had released. Such wildness had been lost on humans for far too long; they looked so beautiful in this state.

There was a tug on his leggings and he glanced down in annoyance.

"M-master? Your orders, sire?" the hunched creature stammered, its face pointed directly to the ground

He raised his arched eyebrow softly at the little beast and considered its question. He turned to look at the others as they shuffled their feet and anxiously glanced about. It was rare for these creatures to come to the Aboveground at all, especially at any time other than nightfall and Jareth almost felt pity. These creatures had been denied their rights by ancient humans who had been filled with fear by their false Gods and Deities.

Again, only one sentence could sum up Jareth's feelings on the matter.

'What a pity.'

"Holspurt, you may take the others and search for unwanted babes in this park. Heaven knows what goes on here when no one is looking." Answered Jareth softly as he swept his eyes over the endless park sprawled before them.

At once, their moods perked up and their eyes glittered. A moment later, they were scampering away through bushes and giggling to themselves as goblins tend to do. Jareth gave a small smirk and turned back to Sarah but was confused to see the look of raw sensuality and wildness wiped clean from her face. She was frowning, he could see, and also… tilting her head as if to listen carefully.

He held his breath and waited before he quickly sent another pulse of raw magic towards her. She calmed then and looked as if she were about to laugh.

Jareth let out the breath he had been holding in a sigh and waited. Sarah took in another lungful of air and held it, looking content with the world.

Impatience finally settled over Jareth and as he went to make his appearance known, Sarah froze and her eyes bulged. The look on her face would have almost been comical; her cheeks puffed out and her eyes wide with fear, but Jareth knew better than to laugh. He listened carefully for a moment and then he heard it. The giggling, the unmistakable footfalls. _Damn those goblins!_

He watched numbly as she turned tail and ran from the park and Jareth let out a string of curses before he willed his body to take the shape of a snowy owl. He took flight immediately and rose out of sight above Sarah. The plan would undoubtedly have to change from simply hypnotizing her and luring her back for another challenge of his labyrinth. He would have to infiltrate her life here in the Aboveground and extract his revenge that way. He made a quick decision and flew further down Oak Street and landed in an alleyway. Once he willed his body back into it's original form, he looked around with a sneer and made quick work of himself; his eyes drifted closed and he raised his arms from his sides once more. Extending them forward, he moved his hands in an intricate pattern and a crystal materialized between his hands once more. With his mind focused on what he desired, he dropped the crystal to the filthy ground. When it shattered, a black vapour swirled around Jareth's feet. It climbed his legs quickly and twisted itself around his torso before it enveloped Jareth's head, which he flung back. He stayed like his for a moment before he flung his arms out and dispelled the mist from himself and quickly summoned another crystal, which he smashed against the ground. Out sprung grey mist that twirled to form a floating mist-mirror.

Gone was his wild, Fae hair. It was replaced by short-cropped, sandy-brown hair. His arched, pointed eyebrows lowered and he sported a small patch of hair underneath his lower lip and chin. His attire had changed as well; gone were his leggings and dress frock as were his troll-hide leather riding boots and gloves. Jareth felt strangely naked in his new black dress trousers and dark blue dress shirt. He sported a black vest which had a dark crimson tie tucked securely behind it. His footwear was acceptable but nothing like what he was used to. His amulet was gone but was replaced by a ring on his pinky finger with the same symbol. He admired the glittering jewel for a moment before he looked into the mirror and smiled. He, as far as he could tell, looked the part.

He waved his hand through the mist of the mirror and it dissolved to nothing. He stepped out of the alleyway gracefully and waited at the corner of the street where he knew Sarah's bus would stop and he waited.

A few moments later, the vehicle rounded the corner and Jareth smirked when the doors opened for him. It would be a very, very long day for the little wench.

---

A/N: Ahhhahahahahaaaaaa…Ha. ..Ha…. Review it, please 


	4. Jareth Lefay

Crystal Ball

Chapter 4: Jareth Lefay

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be raping Jareth. Every. Day.

A/n: Should anyone be curious, this is the image I pictured Jareth taking…. ./wRmlqCBaCpgbyl94AmFKgkzyo1_ but with nicer, more modern clothing lol.

---

Sarah quickly let go of the hand bar she was holding and shuffled her way further down the bus as more people boarded on. The smell was invading her senses again and she felt that the further away she got from the doors, the more likely it would be that she could clear her head.

She politely pushed her way through the crowded aisle between the seats and arrived at the back of the bus and was pleasantly surprised to see a young man standing up to vacate the bus. She eyed the spot possessively and almost lunged for it once he was clear out of the way; there had been another woman eyeing the seat in quite the same manner as Sarah and she'd be damned if she stood the entire 20 minute drive with a driver who seemed to lack the fine motor skills to _softly_ depress the gas at least five seconds before having to stop. The other woman glowered at Sarah but she paid no attention to her.

Sarah leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes warily. There was a prickle behind her eye and Sarah knew that a large headache was aimed in her direction and groaned softly at her bad luck. She stayed like this for a few moments in the hopes of staving off what could potentially be a migraine and felt her wariness turn to drowsiness quickly. Before long, she found herself nodding off sitting between two strangers.

---

Jareth kept his eyes on Sarah when he stepped onto the bus. His eyes had been almost magnetically drawn to his target and he almost chuckled when her head had snapped up; her senses were obviously much more sensitive to his presence now.

He watched in amusement as she worried her lip between her teeth and craned her neck to look in his direction to try and catch a glimpse of what was causing the aroma to waft into the bus. Thankfully, there was a larger man standing in front of him and he served to be a great camouflage. When Sarah moved to get to the back of the bus, Jareth paused. He could not see her if she moved to the back and that defeated the entire purpose of his game so he delicately surged a small pulse of magic through the crowded aisle; he easily slipped in between the humans as he kept his mismatched eyes on Sarah's back. No one seemed to look in his direction, not even if he nudged into them slightly. It was an advantage to cast glamours, it seemed. Humans had long lost the need to be able to detect them, after all.

He spotted Sarah lunging for an empty seat and kept his distance from her. He watched as she leaned her head back against the window and how she winced and subconsciously rubbed her left temple, how her exposed, stretch out neck bobbled slightly as she swallowed. Again, alluring. He was beginning to tire of that solitary thought and moved forward slowly while he suppressed the smell that wafted from him until he stood almost right in front of her and grabbed the hand bar above. Instead of gazing down at her intently as he longed to do, he looked away nonchalantly and nudged her foot with his and waited. Her eyes fluttered open and she groggily turned to look out the window to see how far she had traveled before she yawned and checked her watch.

It took Sarah a moment before she caught a faint, delicious smell

'If that's cologne, I'm soaking my pillow in it.' she thought fuzzily

She blinked a few times to clear her blurry eyes and found a pair of legs standing almost directly in front of her and she slowly dragged her eyes up the male frame.

'He has nice legs.'

She continued up and found her gaze caught on a flicker of gold on the man's pinky. She waited for him to shift his hand slightly and focused on it more thoroughly. She barely had time to catch the image before the man put his hand in his pocket.

'He had nice hands, too.'

He was tall and lithe, as proven by her wandering eyes. She craned her neck up to take a look at his face but as she did so, they drove through a small tunnel and Sarah found herself staring up into the dark. She waited with her head tilted up and when they came out of the tunnel the light from the sun shocked her eyes.

She blinked painfully a few times as sunspots danced in her vision and tried again to look up at the man in front of her. Her nostrils flared as that delicious scent wafted over her again and she found herself smiling softly. When her vision cleared slightly, she took a quick glance upward at the man's profile as he was facing away from her and her heart leapt into her throat. Before she could yelp in surprise-

"Campus! This is campus!" came the badly projected voice of the bus driver

The man moved away and off the bus quickly, leaving Sarah to stare into the space where he had been standing with her mouth hung open.

'I-impossible…'

---

Jareth walked quickly through the campus and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The look on Sarah's face had been absolutely priceless and if he could help it, he would keep her looking like a fish all day.

'Finally, I have managed to render her silent!' Jareth thought gleefully

He quickly made his way to a campus map and switched direction. A few moments of walking and he found himself standing in front of the college's Info Center and pushed through the freshly painted doors.

The secretary sitting there looked up as he entered and automatically gave him a chipper smile.

"How may I help you this morning, sir?"

Jareth sent one of his best charming smiles and was satisfied to see a small flush on the woman's cheeks

"Ah, yes, dear. I was called last night by Dean Speckmann as he needed a favour from an old friend. Apparently, there was an accident that had rendered Professor Hughes unable to teach this semester and he thought it would be best that I step in for the time being," Jareth smiled wider and winked, "and may I say that the necklace you're wearing is absolutely perfect on you. It brings out your eyes, Miss…?"

The secretary flushed more and giggled nervously

"Rosaline Taylor." Came the quiet, giddy reply

Jareth's eyes sparkled in amusement; it was really too easy to charm these humans. They were so vain.

"A great pleasure to meet you, Rosaline Taylor. Might I be able to get the class lists, schedules and all that amusing drabble?" Jareth was leaning on the counter with crossed arms now and working his best charm glamour on the poor girl.

The young woman before him let out a weak smile and tore her eyes from his mesmerizing face to gaze at her computer screen. She cleared her throat and frowned as she found herself again and began to type rapidly into the machine. After a few moments, a flash of confusion washed over her face and she grumbled to herself

"Just give me a moment, the computer says that Professor Hughes is still in the system. I'll try it again."

Another moment passed and the secretary frowned harder still. She looked up to Jareth gave a lopsided grin

"Could I have your name, please?"

He considered her for a moment before he grinned apologetically

"Oh yes, I'm so sorry! I forgot myself, you see, when I saw your necklace," Jareth moved his hand from the counter and brought it to his side. He flicked his wrist silently and continued, "My name is Jareth-"

There was a loud electrical crackle and the power in the building went out, plunging them into darkness. A moment later, the lights and computer flickered back on and the secretary's wide eyes focused back onto the screen.

"Oh, here it is! Professor Jareth Lefay, is it?"

Jareth gave a warm nod and waited patiently as the secretary printed out the necessary information. When she was finished, she placed the papers into a file folder and went to hand it to him. Jareth was careful to rub his index finger along the back of her hand as he took it from her and smiled.

"Thank you for your help, Rosaline. You've been most kind." He purred out

Jareth turned to walk out the door. He held it open partially and turned back to the obviously flustered human and she paused, looking at him questioningly. Jareth winked one of his mismatched eyes at her and grinned.

"Maybe we'll chat again, Rosaline."

When the door closed behind him, the secretary groaned softly and closed her eyes. That was one man who would be in her fantasies for a long time.

---

Jareth stepped back out into the sunlight and winced up at the offending ball of fire. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a simple pair of sunglasses and found a bench. When he sat down on it, he pulled out two classes in particular that he was very interested in. 'Medieval History' and 'Theatre Workshop.' Both listed 'Sarah Williams' as a student. His grin kept getting bigger and bigger.

---

A/N: Well, well well… Jareth's decided to play teacher! Oooooh dear!


	5. Classroom Blues

Crystal Ball

Chapter 5: Classroom Blues

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or it's characters, unfortunately.

---

Sarah stepped off of the bus jerkily at Campus and into the busy crowd of students making their way to their first classes of the year. Her mind was blank and numb as she mindlessly wandered over to a vacant bench and half-collapsed onto it. He image of the man's profile kept flashing in front of her mind's eye, causing her to shudder despite the warm sun on her face.

Sarah ran a shaky hand through her long, dark hair and tried to breathe normally so she could gather and compose her thoughts which were flying in every direction possible.

'This means _nothing._' Sarah thought desperately, 'People look similar all the time!'

Even as she thought it, Sarah felt doubt flood through her mind and she groaned miserably. She flung her head back and closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down from the hysteria welling up inside of her. She heard as groups of students passed by her and felt their eyes on her for a moment but she didn't pay them any attention and they quickly passed by with hushed voices.

She stayed that way until the nauseous feeling of fear went away and she slowly leaned her back on the bench and brought her face down again. She felt the cool September breeze against her cheek and let her eyes drift open warily.

'Something's changed…'

---

Sarah stayed on the hard wooden bench and let herself calm down before she pulled out a crinkled paper from her knapsack and unfolded it. She took a long hard look at her timetable and felt a flood of relief when she spotted her first class of the year, 'Medieval History,' and rechecked her knapsack for her proper textbooks. She absentmindedly heard her watch beep off the hour to her and kept rummaging in her bag for work supplies. A minute or two passed before Sarah felt panic flood through her. _Her watch!_

She pulled her arm out of the bag and searched her digital watch with horror. 8:39AM. Class had already been in session for nine minutes! Sarah shoved all of her belongings back into her knapsack and slung it over her shoulder before she darted off towards the history building. She pushed passed some straggling students (who were offended by her rudeness and yelled after her) and ripped open the doors to the building. She ran along the main hallway and up two flights of stairs before skidding to a halt in front of an ancient looking cherry door. She smoothed out her wind-whipped hair and took a deep breath before so pulled open the door, embarrassment burning colour into her cheeks.

---

"-And after covering the fall of the Roman empire, we shall move on to-" the aristocratic English voice paused as the classroom door let out a long, drawn out squeak as it opened for a tardy student.

All eyes in the classroom of 150 students turned to look at the door as it was opened. Sarah was acutely aware of all 300 eyes staring at her from their podium seating and she paused halfway in the doorway, debating on whether to enter or not. The classroom was deadly silent before the professor's voice boomed out.

"Well, it's in or out, girl!"

Sarah lowered her head and shuffled into the classroom quickly. She found a spot in the front row slightly to the right of the professor's gaze and missed the small, ferocious smile that exposed his slightly pointed teeth.

"Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted by… You, what was your name?" Sarah did not look up as she pulled out her notebook and pen

The cool voice took on an annoyed edge.

"Are you def or simply a simple-brained brat? Tell me your name, girl!"

Sarah's head snapped up and looked around, unsure of whom the professor was talking to. She turned to look towards the professor and her heart nearly stopped.

'Jareth.'

---

Jareth could see her eyes widen and her skin pale from this proximity and his ego soared. Her mouth was moving but there was no sound coming from it and he enjoyed the view very much.

"If I must ask one more time, girl, you'll be asked to leave this classroom." Jareth's voice rumbled

As if someone had struck the back of her head, Sarah's body jerked into motion and she piped up

"Sarah Williams, sir."

Jareth's mismatched eyes considered her for a moment, unsure if he should be disappointed that she had not opt out of the class, and turned away to face the blackboard again. He began writing down the unit sections for the semester.

"I do not accept tardiness in this course, Ms. Williams. It would do you good to remember that… as well as all of you! Let this be a lesson; none shall enter that door after 8:30A.M. You're either in your seat or you're not." He turned around to eye the large classroom and found it satisfying that a sea of solemn faces were staring back at him

"Am I understood?"

Jareth waited for a moment before he turned to face them fully and gave them a hard look. "When I ask you a question, you shall reply to me!"

It took a moment before a monotonous "Yes, Professor Lefay" rang out to echo in the classroom.

Jareth's eyes flickered over to Sarah for a moment and he watched as she recoiled from his gaze. He turned back to the blackboard and continued to write down some pertinent information.

---

Sarah was trying desperately to not vomit.

'Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it.' She kept chanting to herself

She had thought his voice had sounded familiar when she had walked into the classroom but had not had the courage to look at her professor fully. It had only been when he had addressed her while she was at her seat that she had finally looked up at him. If it weren't enough that it had been the Goblin King's voice that had addressed her, it was his eyes that had really caused the horror she was currently feeling.

'Don't vomit. Not here.' It was now a mantra

Professor Lefay had been talking about the last days of the Roman Empire as if he had been present that day and explained in vivid detail of battles and champions. Students were busy scribbling as much information down as possible but Sarah was just staring down at her blank notebook with her pen in hand. She tried not looking up at the man in front of her until the classroom went quiet again and she felt like she was being stared at. When she looked up, she tried to shrink back into her seat and melt away as the entire classrooms gaze was set on her once more.

"Ms. Williams? What are your thoughts on the Battle of Adrianople?"

Sarah stared at the man and felt colour rise in her cheeks once more.

"Nothing? Not a single thought? I've only been talking about it for the past 45 minutes…" Professor Lefay's eyes narrowed substantially on her hunched figure and he bared his slightly pointed teeth in an disgusted grimace

"I think it would be highly efficient of you to stay after class, Ms. Williams, to discuss your future in this classroom."

Dread filled Sarah like ice water in her stomach.

---

The rest of class passed without incident and ten minutes before class was due to end, Professor Lefay wrapped up and sent the students on their way

"Ms. Williams, a word, if you please." The voice called over the rumble of students leaving the classroom.

His back was turned to her and Sarah quenched the feeling of fear down. Yes, he looked like the Goblin King. Yes, he sounded like it. He, however, _wasn't_ him.

She gathered her notebook and placed it into her knapsack before she walked over to stand in front of his desk. Some straggling students gave her mixed looks of pity and amusement before the door closed behind them.

The room was silent for a moment and Sarah's ears began to ring. She shuffled on her feet for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Listen, Professor, I apolo-"

"Never, I repeat, _never_ be late for one of my classes again. Do _not_ defy me."

When he turned to look at her, Sarah gave an audible gasp.

Jareth's eyes bored into her and he knew that she probably knew. He did not care, however, and kept the charade up.

"You will not defy me, Ms. Williams. This is _my_ kingdom, _my_ castle, _my_ domain. You will have to work your damned hardest in my class, Ms. Williams, because I doubt anyone would move the stars for you." Jareth admitted dimly in the back of his mind that he was not speaking as a professor and felt a little idiotic but he pressed on, "Life is not a fairytale for _ordinary_ girls such as yourself. Dismissed."

Sarah fairly ran out of the classroom, tears blurring her vision.

…And Jareth cursed under his breath at his own selfish idiocy.

---

A/N: Well… Jareth's first class seems to have gone –eh hem- badly… What will come out of it?


	6. King Oberon

Crystal Ball

Chapter 6: King Oberon

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Labyrinth. If I did, I'd be raping Jareth. Every. Day.

---

Jareth sat at his creaky, old desk in the history building with his head in his hands. On the table surface of his desk sat a crystal and he peered into it intently, watching as the images danced off its surface and felt, for the first time in his long, ancient life, guilt. He watched as an image of a younger Sarah spoke to Hog-head… Higgle… Hogleston… -Whatever that dwarf's name was- and befriended it. He watched with faint amusement as the image changed to show her approach the Four Guards and attempted to solve their puzzle… and reminisced at his concern when she had fallen into the Oubliette.

He sighed heavily as pressure built in his chest. It had been an anxious thirteen-hour run of his Labyrinth with so many twists and turns to the story that Jareth himself had felt a little dizzy as Sarah had gotten herself into one melting pot of trouble after another. The stakes had been high for his challenge and yet, Sarah had never really known her rightful winnings.

A kingdom. A throne. He had not lied when he had offered it to her, yet he had never really divulged the true meaning of conquering his Labyrinth. He himself had been a Runner of the Labyrinth, but that had been a tradition, a custom of his family. No one ruled the Labyrinth or the Goblin City without first overcoming its challenges… but he had grown up running through those winding, twisting paths… It was only fair to offer up his kingdom to a true Runner.

It had been an old prophecy made by the Wise Man that declared a mortal girl would one day rule over the Goblin City, the Labyrinth and Jareth himself, yet he had foolishly gone against the prophecy, purposely defied destiny for his own selfish reasoning. He had been King for thousands of years. He was Fae, an immortal! He was the first-born son of High King Oberon, gifted with the ability to change space, time and material as he saw fit! A mortal girl would not take over his rightful place on the throne and so he had manipulated the circumstances, made it so impossible to conquer that he could not fathom a loss. Of course, as to not completely alter destiny, he had offered her a place by his side… a Slave-Queen.

It was when Jareth had been denied that all Hell broke loose; High King Oberon had descended upon his kingdom with the Wise Man after they had learned of Jareth's manipulations and reigned fury onto the Goblin King. Never once had there been a more selfish Fae in their long, proud history. They dressed him down, shamed him in front of his countless brothers and sisters… His own mother, the graceful and beautiful Fae that she was, could not bear to look upon her own babe and he had wept.

Jareth's thoughts returned to the crystal and he watched as Sarah first wished Toby away to him. He had been watching her for much longer than that day, he recalled.

That had been another prophecy by the Wise Man, as he thought of it. It was a prophecy made before Jareth had been born;

First son of the Fae King

Would weep with wonder and adoration,

At a mere mortal maiden;

And so he had. Sarah's fun-filled imaginings had captivated him since she had been a tiny girl in the park. His affections back then had been of a fatherly nature at the time; her big blue eyes would sparkle as she spoke of magical beasts she knew nothing about and yet, she seemed to know them as well as he. She had delighted him and he had wanted to take her home to the Underground where he could give her all that she wished for. By Fae law, he could not steal a wanted child (unless he desired the mandatory punishment of being stripped of his magic and outcasted) and so he granted her a unique power in his befuddled state of adoration. The ability to Wish. She could call him to her whenever she pleased.

The years passed by and Jareth had watched from afar as she grew from a child to something more womanly and he found his affection morph from fatherly to something… different. It was a love that knew no bounds and Jareth often envisioned sharing the castle with her; Lady Sarah. She had been known by that name in the Underground since birth.

When she had Wished for him to release her of her duties as a Matron to her brother, he had only obliged. For selfish reasons, he did not release Toby back to Sarah as she had commanded because, in all honesty, he wished for her to spend time in the Underground, to meet the creatures she spoke of as a child, and to lure her into being his Queen. So foolish of him.

When she had conquered his Labyrinth, she had inherited Fae magic so she could rule as a true Undergroundling. In essence, she became Fae. Because of his own selfish actions, she had gone back Aboveground with his dormant magic inside of her and allowed it to fester, causing her to have her nightmares. It called for her to take her rightful place.

Jareth groaned and rubbed his eyes before he banished the crystal with a lazy flick of his fingers and sighed.

As he stood to make his way to his next class, a burst of light followed by a large burst filled the room, scattering papers across the floor. Jareth covered his eyes for a moment before he gasped and knelt onto the floor.

"My Lord, High King Oberon!"

The Fae before him looked both beyond ancient and youthful. His robes looked like they were spun of water and summer air, his skin alabaster and tan at the same time. It was like looking into the sun; painful, beautiful and blinding.

King Oberon stared down at his son for a moment before his deep, echoing voice called out to him

"Rise, Jareth." It sounded like music

Jareth stood with his head bowed and his eyes averted to the floor carefully and was startled when a calloused yet soft hand reached under his chin and made him reach eye level with his father.

"Your mother questions your motives to be here, boy. Dost thou think to seek revenge for your own stupidity?"

Jareth winced before he nodded, the guilt in his chest soared.

"Thou stupid whelp! You are selfish as you are cruel, Jareth, and act like no son of mine. You had best think kindly of your mother for loving you as she does, otherwise thou would have been stripped of your birthright many a millennial ago."

Jareth merely nodded his agreement with King Oberon and felt the High King sigh in frustration.

"You will fix this mess, my son, lest ye wish to have no magic by Autumn's Eve. I have decreed it."

Jareth merely nodded again and averted his gaze from his father and Lord and without so much more than a tingle in the air, King Oberon disappeared. Jareth picked himself up off the floor and frowned darkly. Plans would have to change once more, it seemed.

---

A/N: OOOOOOOOOhhhhhhh…. Look at that, another twist in the plot! AAAAHAHAHAHAHA.


	7. The Wise Man

Crystal Ball

Chapter 7: The Wise Man

Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit from Labyrinth…

A/N: Alas, but the lack of reviews is causing me to be a litter wary of updating so quickly… Help an author out, people!

---

Sarah ran blindly through the hallways of the history building, her tears blurring out from her eyes and down her cheeks in waves. Her footfalls echoed loudly against the age-stained walls as she slapped them down hard. Her lungs burned from the exertion of running and sobbing at the same time but she pushed on past the hallway, down the two flights of stairs and out the main doors into the sunshine. She blinked against the harsh light and wiped away her tear-stained face, becoming acutely aware of being in public. She hugged her books to her chest and bee-lined for a small walking park on the other end of the campus courtyard.

As she approached the small walking park, her nose caught the smell of fall on the air. She shrugged it off and took a large, main path into the tree line. She walked along the path and listened to the birds singing to one another and watched as the tree branches of the maples danced around gracefully. Sun filtered in between the large, pointed leaves and lit the path for Sarah and she walked it thoughtlessly. Her mind looked like an open book; her anguish and anger looked like a horrible mask on her usually cream-coloured skin.

She came along an old bench. The green paint was peeling off of it in most areas and the trashcan beside it had flies buzzing noisily around it but Sarah did not particularly care. She stomped over to the bench and sat down for a moment before she shot up and began pacing furiously. She began muttering to herself angrily and gesturing with her hands wildly… In the back of Sarah's mind, she was glad that the path she had chosen had no one wandering it at this hour.

"-Ordinary girl-"

"-Who does he think he is-"

"-Arrogant son of a b-"

"-'Oh don't _defy_ me, Ms. Williams-'"

Sarah stopped when she said that last part and her hand slapped over her mouth.

'Defy?'

---

Sarah sat on that bench for nearly an hour and stared at the trees, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs extended out in front of her. No one had come across her yet and Sarah began to feel the anger and stress ebb out of her. Her eyes drooped and she allowed the breeze to carry her off to sleep.

---

Jareth came out of the history building with his workbag trussed over his shoulder and his sunglasses already on. Cleaning up the classroom after his father had left had been fairly simple; one twitch of his fingers and a crystal fell to the floor. The papers instantaneously leaped back up onto his desk and he left without a word.

Feeling decidedly out of touch with nature, Jareth spotted the walking park on the other side of the campus courtyard and sauntered his way over. Nothing perked a Fae up better than a stroll with Nature. He chose a shady path and strolled in easily, happy to smell fresh soil and trees. He felt the stress of the unexpected meeting with his father ease its way out of his shoulders.

He had walked a fair way in when he heard shuffling in the bushes and he paused. A moment later, Holspurt and the other goblins came streaking out, their eyes wide with fear. When they spotted Jareth, they all but squealed and ran towards him.

"King Jareth! King Jareth, sire! You must come quickly! He- he is here and He must speak to your lordship!" the ugly creature began tugging on his trousers insistently as if to drag Jareth off into the forest

Jareth easily kicked off the goblin and felt irked the little cretin had tried to manhandle him so blatantly.

"How dare you touch your King without permission!" Jareth hissed out at him through clenched teeth and aimed a kick at Holspurt

Holspurt danced out of the way of Jareth's shoe and grabbed onto his up-swung foot. He pulled at Jareth, causing him to hop on one leg for a few seconds before he tugged his foot away. Holspurt held onto his shoe tightly and fell backwards as Jareth tugged his leg back. He landed with Jareth's shoe pressed tightly to his chest.

"Unhand my footwear, beast!" growled Jareth angrily as he hopped on one foot

"Master Jareth must come with us! He is here!" cried Holspurt shakily as he threw down the shoe and ran back into the bush

---

Jareth ran through the bushes after the goblins with grace. They raced ahead of him, stumbling over raised roots and stones and scrabbled their way after Holspurt. They came to a small clearing and Jareth paused as he watched pollen dance in the sunlight and frowned.

"Holspurt, you lying little pig! No one is here."

"He said to wait, you majesty! Wait not one moment, sire!" pleaded Holspurt desperately

Jareth eyed the clearing and growled angrily. He leaned down and snatched up the goblin by the back of its armor and brought it close to his face

"And just who are 'we' waiting for, Holspurt?"

Terror shot through the goblins giant, watery green eyes and Jareth frowned further.

"You majesty, …The Wise Man!"

Jareth dropped the goblin and waited.

---

Sarah snored lightly on the bench with her chin tucked into her chest. The breeze moved her hair lightly and she stayed oblivious to the world.

High King Oberon looked on her from his view between the trees with a closed stare. He ignored the strong presence of another ancient Fae as he watched the young mortal sleep.

High Queen Titania strolled up behind her husband as if she were floating on air. Her feet were bare and as flowers bloomed with every step she took. Like her husband, High Queen Titania looked both ancient and youthful, with cloaks that look spun of spider webs and morning dew. Her hair looked like spun white gold; it seemed to float delicately around her shoulders as if gravity meant nothing to her.

She walked slowly up to her husband and placed an alabaster hand on his shoulder. When she spoke, the sound was otherworldly and musical.

"Hello, my husband."

King Oberon nodded his head in solemn acknowledgement of his queen and continued to watch Sarah. Titania's eyes followed his gaze and fell onto Sarah and she dropped her hand from Oberon's shoulder gently.

"You watch Lady Sarah, Oberon?"

Oberon's golden eyes moved slowly from Sarah's face to gaze at his wife and gave a small smile and nodded

Titania nodded as well and turned her gaze towards Sarah and watched as her chest rose and fell slowly.

"We must give her a gift, husband."

King Oberon extended his arm out and Queen Titania gently settled her hand onto it. They walked slowly towards Sarah and paid no attention to the flowers that sprung from their footfalls. Small grass moths few around Titania's legs and soon, they were gazing down at Sarah from only a foot away.

Titania circled Sarah slowly to face her back and gestured 'come hither' with her finger. Sarah's head happily obliged and she leaned it backwards on the wood with a small snore. Titania smiled down at the precious youth in front of her before she bent down and gave a chaste kiss to Sarah's forehead and leaned down until her full lips pressed against her ear where she whispered something unintelligible. When she finished, she moved away and Oberon came forward slowly. He imitated his wife's movements and placed a chaste kiss on Sarah before he moved to her other ear and rumbled something to her. When he raised his head, he placed his large hand on Sarah's forehead and smiled gently down at her and turned back to the forest. Titania came to stand at his side and as they walked into the forest, she looked up at him with inquiring eyes

"What gift did you bestow upon Lady Sarah, Oberon?"

Oberon stared ahead as he walked before he turned to look at his wife

"I gave her immortality. Should she choose to use it is up to her, as is her choice to rule the Labyrinth."

Titania considered his gift calmly and continued to walk into the forest.

"What did you grace her with, Titania?"

With a smile, Titania looked on her husband

"I have awoken her magic, dear husband, should she decide to use it."

---

A/N: Lol I love writing this story… Review it, buttheads!


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